Mendelssohn: String Quartets Vol.2;

Play Mendelssohn's Quartet in E Flat for a music-loving friend, epecially the fugal finale, and ask him or her to guess the composer's age. This is another of those amazing products of Mendelssohn's early adolescence, written when the composer was 14. It's hardly ever performed and not often recorded, and it may not be the equal of Mendelssohn's mature Quartets. But it's a substantial piece and holds your interest, especially in the alert, charming performance on this disc. The two later Quartets are played equally well. This is a generously programmed (72-minute) CD, full of fine music in satisfying performances, and vividly recorded. --Leslie Gerber